Planar travellers see many different planes of existence, from the various Primes to the Astral and Ethereal to the Nine Hells, but very few of them ever visit the Spirit Realm. It is a desolate place, inhabited by the spirits of those who are unable to move on (or have refused to move on) for whatever reason. Many of these spirits area never visible to those in the waking world, while others can freely manifest themselves and make themselves heard by the living. These creatures are not full-fledged undead, like ghosts, but fragments of personality and emotion.
A Spiritbinder can see into the Spirit Realm and communicate with the lost spirits within, asking them for guidance and advice, summoning them for answers to questions, or binding them to guard a place or a person.
Spiritbinders are most often tribal shamans, dressed in furs and carrying bone rattles, but they can just as easily be wizards or clerics who have an interest in the Spirit Realm. A few Spiritbinders are even bards who use the power of their music to control the dead, or who seek knowledge from other realms.
Hit Die: d4.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Spiritbinder (Sbi), the character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Skills: Knowledge (religion) 8 ranks, Knowledge (the planes) 5 ranks
Special: Must have summoned and bound at least one spirit whose ECL is equal to or greater than the character's level.
Class Skills
The Spiritbinder's class skills are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana, religion, the planes)(Int), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).
Skill Points Per Level: 4 + Int modifier
Table 1: The Spiritbinder
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Fort Save |
Ref Save |
Will Save |
Special | Spells Per Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Turn/rebuke spirit | |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Spirit sense, sensitivity to psychic impressions |
+1 level of existing class |
| 3rd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Summon spirit | |
| 4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Exorcism | +1 level of existing class |
| 5th | +2 | +2 | +2 | +4 | Immunity to possession | |
| 6th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Control spirit | +1 level of existing class |
| 7th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Banish spirit | |
| 8th | +4 | +3 | +3 | +6 | Channel spirit | +1 level of existing class |
| 9th | +4 | +3 | +3 | +6 | Cries of the dead | |
| 10th | +5 | +4 | +4 | +7 | Lay to rest | +1 level of existing class |
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Spiritbinder prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Spiritbinders gain no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.
Turn/Rebuke Spirit (Su): A Spiritbinder can turn or rebuke spirits (shadows, wraiths, etc.) as a cleric turns or controls undead, forcing them to recoil from his force of will. The Spiritbinder can either turn or rebuke the spirit; the choice is not related to alignment (exception: alignment applies to turning/rebuking undead as it does with clerics – good-aligned Spiritbinders can only turn, and evil ones can only rebuke, while neutrals can do one or the other).
A Spiritbinder can attempt to turn or rebuke spirits a number of times per day equal to three plus his Charisma modifier.
Spirit Sense (Su): At will as a full-round action, the Spiritbinder can concentrate and sense the presence of spirits. This works like the paladin's detect alignment ability: on the first round, he can sense the presence of spirits within 60 feet; on the second, he can sense number and type (undead, dead spirits, ley ghosts, etc.), on the third, he can sense alignment; and on the fourth and later, he can pinpoint power levels.
Sensitivity to Psychic Impressions (Su): Once per day per class level, the Spiritbinder can "walk an area" – i.e., he walks through a room, house, graveyard, or other area and attempts to gather psychic impressions of past events that may have happened there. The Spiritbinder must make a Wisdom check; the DC is set by the DM, who must adjudicate it according to the events that occurred in the area. For example, the site of a particularly bloody murder could be DC 5-7, while someone peacefully dying of old age could be DC 20, unless the person had unfinished business.
Spells Per Day: At the indicated levels, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in a spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of controlling or rebuking undead, metamagic feats, etc.), except for an increased effective level of spellcasting. If the character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a Spiritbinder, he must decide to which class he adds the new level for purposes of determining spells per day.
Summon Spirit (Su): Once per day per three class levels, the Spiritbinder can summon a shadow, wraith, or specter to perform a single task, which can be no longer than 10 minutes per class level. The spirit is bound to do the caster's will, though it will attempt to twist the wording of any commands given and will always seek to free itself of the Spiritbinder's control. While the spirit is under the character's control, he is immune to all of its undead powers, but not any abilities it had in life (spellcasting, spell-like abilities, etc.).
Exorcism (Su): As Spiritbinders can summon spirits, so too can they banish them. Once per day, a Spiritbinder can attempt to exorcise a spirit, expelling it from an area or from a person that it possesses. Each round, the spirit must make an opposed Will save against the Spiritbinder's class level + Cha modifier, +1 per round the Spiritbinder maintains the exorcism. If the save is successful, the spirit resists the Spiritbinder's will; if the save fails, the spirit is forced out of the area or the host, and it can no longer inhabit that particular place/person again. This ability is effective even against ghosts that are bound to a specific area; if the ghost is exorcised and then destroyed, it can’t come back via its rejuvenation ability.
In order to perform an exorcism, the Spiritbinder must have relative quiet; if he is distracted for any reason, he must make a Concentration check or lose his bond with the spirit – that use of the exorcism for the day is wasted, and the spirit remains where it is. (See possession and exorcism for more information.)
Immunity to Possession (Ex): The Spiritbinder is totally immune to possession of all sorts, including a ghost's malevolence ability, the magic jar spell, and other spells and effects that simulate this effect. This does not extend to spirits the Spiritbinder willingly allows into his body (see below).
Control Spirit (Su): A Spiritbinder can attempt to exert his influence over a spirit as a full-round action. In order to do so, he must be able to see the spirit, but it need not be able to understand him. He and the undead must make an opposed Charisma checks; if the Spiritinder wins, he gain a +2 morale bonus to the next check. If the first check fails, the spirit gains the bonus.
If the Spiritbinder wins two checks in a row, he gains control over the spirit, which is bound to follow his commands. He can assign it a task lasting no more than 1 hour per level (or until sundown or dawn, whichever comes first), whereupon it is forced to return to its home plane (bound ghosts cannot be banished in this manner).
The spirit remains under the Spiritbinder's control unless he is knocked unconscious or killed, or he releases it (in the first two cases, the creature is free; in the last case, it is instantly sent back to its home plane).
Banish Spirit (Su): At 7th level, the Spiritbinder's control over spirits becomes stronger. In place of one of his turn attempts, he can attempt to banish a spirit back to the plane from which it came (the Spirit Plane for normal spirits, or the Negative Material Plane for most undead). He must make a Charisma check (with a competence bonus equal to his class level) vs. the spirit's ECL + Cha modifier. If the check succeeds, the spirit is banished back to its home plane, though it can be summoned forth again. This ability does not work on bound spirits, including ghosts with the rejuvenation ability, but it does work on those that have been exorcised. If the spirit is summoned or under another being's control, he must make an opposed caster level check (caster level + Cha modifier) to banish the spirit.
Channel Spirit (Ex): Once per day per point of his Charisma bonus, the Spiritbinder can channel a spirit. In order to do this, he must go into a light trance, which requires a full round. He then opens himself up to the spirits, inviting one to inhabit his body and speak through him. In this case, it is not considered possession; the spirit does not have control of the Spiritbinder's body (though see below).
Most spirits are benign in nature, and seek only to have their voices heard. Some, however, are malevolent and seek to take over the Spiritbinder's body to use for their own ends. In this case, the spirit must make three successive opposed control checks (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha modifier) against the Spiritbinder's Will save each round it attempts to take control. If all three checks succeed, the spirit gains control of the body, and the channeler is considered possessed. If only one or two of the checks succeed, the spirit has gained a foothold; it gains a +1 or +2 bonus to its checks the next round, if it still wishes to take over the channeler. Casting dispel alignment, or a successful turn/rebuke check, will force the spirit out. If the Spiritbinder actively seeks to force the spirit from his body, he must make three successive turn/rebuke checks. Once the spirit has gained control, the Spiritbinder can make only one turn/rebuke check per hour to force the spirit out, but he suffers a cumulative –1 penalty each time.
This ability can only be used in a quiet place – the Spiritbinder must be able to concentrate and clear his mind. If he is harmed while channeling a benign spirit, he must make a Concentration check (DC 10 + damage dealt); failure means the contact is lost.
Cries of the Dead (Su): The Spiritbinder can summon a swarm of spirits to descend upon a foe, screaming accusations only the victim can hear, recounting every misdeed and wrong thought in a mental and emotional assault. The victim must make a Will save (DC 10 + Spiritbinder's level + Spiritbinder's Cha modifier) or become frightened, fleeing from the Spiritbinder via the most expeditious route. This assault lasts for one round per class level, +1 round per point of the Spiritbinder's Cha bonus.
Lay to Rest (Su): At 10th level, the Spiritbinder gains his most powerful ability – the ability to lay the dead to rest. This requires a full minute of chanting and concentration; the spirit must be confined in some manner – a spirit ward or spiritbind spell is sufficient. At the end of the minute, the spirit can make a Will save (DC 10 + Spiritbinder's level + Cha modifier). If the save fails, the spirit is irrevocably laid to rest, though it can be raised or resurrected if it is willing. The Spiritbinder can continue to try laying the spirit to rest if it initially saved, but the spirit gains a +1 resistance bonus to the roll for each successive round after the first minute it resists, and the Spiritbinder can only make a number of attempts equal to his class level. This ability can only be used three times per day, on undead spirits whose ECLs are equal to or less than the Spiritbinder's level + Wisdom bonus. This ability does not work on bound spirits, including ghosts with the rejuvenation ability, but it does work on those that have been exorcised.
